“The way [A.J.] Cole finished last year, we really liked the way he [finished],” Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo told MLB Network Radio hosts Eduard Perez and Steve Phillips towards the end of Spring Training.
Cole, 26, was in camp competing for the fifth spot on the Nationals’ rotation at the time, and as Rizzo explained, the 2010 Nats’ 4th Round pick was the frontrunner after a strong finish in 2017, and, in part, because he was out of options.